How To Be Confident In A Job Interview (Even if You’re Not)

After the long and painful process of job hunting, you’ve finally gotten an interview with the job of your dreams! Or maybe just a job, of a dream. Hey, what’s important here is that you got an interview, and that’s awesome!

You’ve probably spent countless hours researching the company, picking out your interview outfit, and learning all about how to make a great first impression at the interview. But after all that work, you’re still nervous about looking confident.

Here’s the deal:

While interviewers can’t exactly smell fear, there are a lot of things you can do that will either give away that you’re a nervous wreck, or show that you’re confident and perfect for the job.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to look confident in an interview, even if you’re not:

1. Use breathing techniques

The key to exuding confidence is to show that you’re cool, calm, and collected. Breathing and mindfulness exercises are a great way to keep your cool and think with a clear head.

While you’re waiting for your interviewer, focus on taking deep breaths, and maybe try counting them. This will give you the chance to refocus on your strengths and qualifications instead of how nervous you are.

Plus, when you get super nervous and forget to breathe, it makes it even harder to speak and tell the interviewer all about how great you are. So do yourself a favor, and focus on your breathing.

2. Don’t be fidgety

Nervous fidgeting is a dead giveaway that you’re nervous or scared, so you’re going to have to really pay attention to your body language.

During the interview, keep your hands together on the table or in your lap so they don’t start tapping, twirling your hair, or squirming in another awkward way. Make sure not to shake your legs or your feet.

Oh, and leave the fidget spinners at home.

3. Make eye contact

If you can’t keep yourself from looking down, looking around, and just not looking the interviewer in the eyes, they’ll know that you’re either super anxious, or you have something to hide.

Even if you’re extremely nervous and absolutely unconfident, a great way to fake it is to keep steady, natural eye contact with your interviewer. Being engaged and present during an interview is a great way to show that you’re self-assured and confident in your qualifications.

If you feel awkward staring someone in the eyes, or you can’t figure out how to look at both eyes at once, focus on the spot between their eyes.

On the other hand, you don’t want to be creepy — take natural breaks to look down at your resume every once in a while, just don’t spend the entire interview looking down.

4. Try to make a connection with your interviewer

Instead of just doing everything you can to impress them, try to make a genuine connection with your interviewer. You don’t have to form a deep, lifelong bond with your interviewer, just make sure to show them that you’re likeable and have great interpersonal skills.

To connect with your interviewer, make some light small talk. Ask them questions about themselves, mention something about the job or the company, or just make a witty observation.

Showing that you’re able to be friendly and personable during a time when you’re constantly being judged for every single thing you do is a great way to show that you have loads of self confidence.

5. Don’t be afraid of silences and don’t rush through your answers

It’s a natural habit to ramble and talk about nothing when we’re feeling nervous — and once we get started, it can be hard to stop.

Silences can be uncomfortable, especially when we’re trying to impress someone. That’s when we start to get into the danger zone. You don’t want to say anything off-topic or self-incriminating.

A good way to avoid rambling is to speak slowly, instead of rushing to get your answers out. That way, you have time to focus on your answers. It’s okay if there’s a bit of a pause between your answer and the next question — and it’s much better than a heap of embarrassing word vomit.

6. Practice your answers beforehand

This is a great way to soothe your interview jitters and have confidence seeping out of your pores. Preparing to answer the most common interview questions and having your answers ready will take the pressure off and help you to stay calm.

Remember to focus your answers on your skills, experience, education, and personal qualities that will help you succeed in the position. Make sure to have stories and examples to show off how you’ve used your qualifications in the past. That way, you’ll not only have a great attitude, but you’ll be able to back it up.

7. Have a positive attitude

Speaking of attitudes, make sure you have a good one. Thinking positively about the interview and having a bright outlook will show on your face.

Employers like people who have a positive outlook, and having a smile and an upbeat attitude will tell interviewers that you’re excited, you’re prepared, and most of all — you’re confident.

Remind yourself that you deserve to be there. If you weren’t worthy of an interview, you never would have been invited! Think about all of your awesome qualifications and pump yourself up for the interview.

8. Give yourself a pep-talk

Hey you, you’re awesome and you’re gonna kick ass today!

It’s easy to beat ourselves up over little things when we’re feeling stressed out. Instead of calling yourself a “big ol’ dummy” for feeling nervous, be nice to yourself!

Before you go into the interview, tell yourself out loud all of the reasons why you deserve the job: You have all the right qualifications, you’re smart, and you’re a hard worker.

Giving yourself this pep talk won’t just give you that positive attitude we’ve been talking about, it will also help you sell yourself to employers — and interviews are all about selling yourself as best as you can.

9. Picture yourself succeeding

This one might sound kind of silly, but actually imagining how successful you’re going to be at your interview can give a boost to your self esteem.

Before you go into the interview, picture what a successful interview looks like: walking into the room with your head held high, shaking hands with the interviewer (no sweaty hands), and answering the questions confidently with the responses you’ve practiced.

If you can see yourself being successful, it will make it easier for you to follow through and ease your interview anxiety.

10. Acknowledge your anxiety instead of suppressing it

Instead of trying to bury your nervousness deep down in your shoes, you should just acknowledge your anxious feelings and make peace with them.

Say to yourself, “I’m feeling anxious for my interview, and that’s okay! I will still be confident and successful.”

It might sound crazy, but making peace with your anxiety instead of trying to overpower it will help you better understand your nervous feelings and deal with them more effectively.

Are your pores oozing with confidence yet?

We all get nervous before interviews. If the thought of interviewing for your dream job makes your stomach do backflips, you’re not alone.

That doesn’t mean you should let your anxiety get the best of you! Even if you’re not feeling confident, it’s easy to fake it ‘til you make it.

Just follow these tips and you’ll be sure to come off as confident, make a great impression on the interview, and land the job.